Early berry and snake diets may have been more varied and advanced than previously thought, according to a new study looking at their prehistoric teeth.
Scientists originally believed that squamates – the generic term for the 10,000 species of berries and snakes – did not start to gain a taste for a much wider variety of food sources after dinosaurs became extinct.
But a study led by the University of Bristol, published in the Royal Society’s Open Science, reveals that they may have already been on the full spectrum of diet types 100 million years ago, leading to -in eat meat and plant-based, seen today.
A team looked at fossil teeth and jaws from the Cretaceous period, between 145-66 million years ago.
Lead author Dr Jorge Herrera-Flores said: “We do not know for sure how diverse squamates were in the Cretaceous.
“But we know that they achieved the full variety of nutrients 100 million years ago, in the heart of the Cretaceous.
“By then, squamates had already existed for over 100 million years, but they seemed to be eating insects up to that point.”
Scientists analyzed the fossils of several extinct sea reptiles, measuring their jaws and teeth, before allocating them to diet classes compared to modern forms.
Insect eaters have long peg-like teeth, and those who prefer to court plants have flat teeth.
Predators have sharp, pointed teeth, and snakes usually have hooked teeth to catch their prey.
“Examining teeth and jaws provides a good insight into the combination of diet and ecology,” said co-author Dr Tom Stubbs.
“Fossil teeth and jaws give us the best view of squamate evolution in the past.
“Infinite conservation would make it easy to misread the fossil record. However, increased fossil discovery could increase the number of feeding methods we identify in the Cretaceous, not reduce them. ”